Who I Am
by Black-and-Scarlet
Summary: Based from CP Coulter's "Dalton" :: When you feel like you just can't do something no matter how much you want to, all it takes is that little encouragement from the one person who matters the most. Reed/Shane. Rane. Characters aren't mine. R & R, please!


**Title: **Who I am

**Author: **Black-and-Scarlet

**Summary: **When you feel like you just can't do something no matter how much you want to, all it takes is that little encouragement from the one person who matters the most.

**Disclaimer: **No, these lovely characters don't belong to me, nor does the song. Thanks for asking.

**Author's Notes: **Ace [AceofCards] gave me this idea. Her plot-bunnies are awesome! Oh, and I might have changed the lyrics a bit. Just one or two words, though. Anyway, hope you enjoy this Rane one-shot. It's full of fluffity-fluff-fluff-fluffiness. Yes, FLUFF. _Lots and lots of FLUFF._

…x…

The light dims, and the murmurs from the crowd die down. Dozens of pairs of eyes gaze towards the center stage. The entire hall is quiet, save for the clinking of wine glass and the clatter of spoon and forks against plates. From behind the closed red curtains, a small, curly-haired, strawberry-blond boy is fumbling with his hands in a nervous gesture, biting his lower lip, worrying it between his pearly-white teeth. He peers through the small partition in the curtains, sees the number of people waiting outside, and almost has a seizure. With wide brown eyes he stumbles a few steps back, and –predictably- trips over his own two feet and almost falls down flat on his back-

-if it weren't for the pair of strong arms that catch him effortlessly.

With a light blush he looks up, and meets the green-gray gaze of a tall, lean boy with dark, curly hair. He smiles shyly.

"Um, hi Shane."

Shane smiles back fondly and helps him straighten up, lightly ruffling his hair with one hand once the smaller boy got back steadily on his feet. The blush on his cheeks only deepens and he looks down timidly, worrying his lower lip once more. Shane notices this and he cups the other boy's cheek with his right hand, tilting his head so that their gazes lock with each other.

"What's wrong, Reed?"

Reed shakes his head, not giving an answer, but Shane only asks him some more. "Oh, come on, tell me."

Reed's eyes are positively _warm_ when he looks into Shane's, causing the dancer's heart to falter a few beats or so. A small, hesitant smile appears on the artist's soft, pink lips and he says, "I'm just… you know –nervous, is all."

Shane blinks, and then doubles over, bursting out into a sudden, delighted laughter. Reed's lips curl into a pout and he takes a step back, arms crossing against his small chest. "This isn't funny, Shane."

Shane tries to take in some air and says in between his chuckles, "Sorry, sorry… it's just…" he straightens up and clears his throat, attempting to be serious, but the grin on his face just won't _go away_. One of Reed's eyebrows rise and Shane shrugs before enveloping the boy into a gentle embrace. For a moment, the strawberry-blond boy doesn't move, but then after a while he sighs and wraps his arms around the other's shoulders.

"I'm still a bit offended that you laughed at me," Reed murmurs into the younger boy's ear.

Shane just laughs and pulls Reed closer. "Sorry, but I wasn't laughing at you."

At this, the smaller one pulls back and raises an eyebrow at him, to which Shane laughs some more. "Okay, fine. Maybe I was laughing at you, but not in a bad way. It's in a god-you're-so-adorable-and-I-just-love-you sort of way."

Upon hearing this, Reed turns scarlet. He buries his head against Shane's chest.

Shane runs his hand down Reed's back in a soothing manner. "Oh, come on, Reed. You've performed in front of a bigger crowd than this! Surely you won't feel _that _nervous anymore, right?"

"Yeah? Well…" Reed mutters something into Shane's shirt.

Shane blinks down at his boyfriend and nudges his shoulder. "Hey, you okay? What was that again? I didn't quite catch it."

"I said," Reed mutters, pulling his face away from Shane's warm chest a bit reluctantly. He looks up at the younger boy. "This one's different. This event's just full of so many important people, and… and…" he takes a deep breath and continues, "Mom said my performance tonight will make her decide whether I should continue on this path or just stick to painting. I… I just don't want to mess this one up, okay?"

Shane squeezes Reed in a loving manner, and he whispers, "Don't worry, you'll be alright. I'm here, okay? I'm here, and so are the others."

"But they've all done their own performances already! I'm the last one."

"No, you're not. Kurt and Blaine are still going to do a duet, then Evan and Ethan will-"

"What I meant is that I'm the last one to do a _solo_, Shane. And I… oh gosh, I just can't!" Reed flails, and almost hits Shane in the face, but then the dancer's holding his hands and kissing him full on the lips. Reed's heart stops, and then _very_ slowly, _very _gently, he presses back. They stay like that for a while, before Shane pulls back with a soft chuckle. Reed's face is as red as a tomato, and he struggles for words, unable to form coherent sentences. "I-I… well, I…"

Shane shushes him with a gentle finger to the lips, and a warm smile appears on his face. "Reed," he begins saying, the name coming out of his lips softly, lovingly. "You have the most angelic voice I've ever heard, and if people out there will think nothing of your performance tonight, then they're all probably insane."

Reed smiles a bit at him in a shy manner. Shane pecks his lips again very quickly, before saying, "Now go out there and win their hearts over."

Reed takes a step back, gathering up all of the courage he could find, and smiles some more at Shane. "Your heart is the only one I need, though."

Shane's grin could have competed with the sun for its brilliance. "Well, you already have it."

With one last smile, Reed turns around to face his waiting audience, feeling just that bit more confident, knowing that his boyfriend is just right there, and giving all of the love and support he needs. Shane moves away to the side, whispering a quick "Good luck," and the curtains finally part, and Reed faces his audience with a face full of determination.

…x…

Hilde is just taking a sip from her wine glass when the curtains finally open, revealing a small boy behind them, wearing a blazer and looking a bit lost for a moment. She stares at her son for a while, wondering why he insists to stay in the Warblers and not just paint.

The lights are still off, but a spotlight now shines down on Reed, who walks towards the center of the stage where a microphone is waiting. With a deep breath, her son closes his eyes and the music begins playing. The brown eyes open again, and they lock with Hilde's gaze briefly, before a small smile flashes on Reed's face, and the first lines of the song comes.

…x…

Reed feels his heart thud against his chest quite painfully as he catches the gaze of his mother, and now he's fully aware that she's watching him, along with the other eyes all gazing at him. He begins to sing, trying his best to ignore the butterflies fluttering inside his stomach.

_I've always been that kind of boy that hid my face_

_So afraid to tell the world what I have to say_

_But I have this dream, where right inside of me_

_I'm gonna let it show, it's time, so that you know_

_It's so that you know…_

As the first chorus hits, Reed's eyes flutter close and he grips the microphone in his hands, holding it just that bit closer to his face. At the side, Shane looks at his boyfriend, deep in awe.

_This is real, this is me_

_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now_

_Gonna let the light shine on me_

_Now I found who I am, there's no way to hold it in_

_No more hiding who I want to be_

_This is me…_

Reed feels his confidence going up a bit, feeling that certain emotion and sense of fulfillment he only gets through music. He sways for a bit, completely lost in his own world now, and dimly registers the quiet murmurs of approval from the crowd. He smiles.

_Do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark?_

_To dream about a life where you're the shining star?_

_Even though it seems like it's so far away_

_I have to believe in myself, it's the only way…_

His eyes shot open and he looks at the crowd, the majority of which smiling at him in agreement. He spots a few of the Warblers at one part of the room, cheering him on with wild gestures –especially from the twins- without really shouting –just frantic waving of their arms.

_This is real, this is me_

_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now_

_Gonna let the light shine on me_

_Now I found who I am, there's no way to hold it in_

_No more hiding who I want to be_

_This is me…_

He sees his mother, looking at him, her expression unreadable. He feels that little bit of disappointment, not wanting to hear her say that his performance is only 'acceptable' yet again. It's at that moment that another voice rises, and every head –including Reed's- snap to the side to see Shane waltzing towards him, microphone in hand, singing like he's never sung before.

_You're the voice I hear inside my head_

_The reason that I'm singing_

_I need to find you, I gotta find you_

Pleasantly surprised, Reed giggles as Shane reaches his side, and he pulls his microphone off of its stand to face the taller boy, who is still singing.

_You're the missing piece I need_

_The song inside of me_

_I need to find you, I gotta find you..._

At the last line, Reed joins him, and then the strawberry-blond picks up the chorus again, beaming widely.

_This is real, this is me_

_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now_

_Gonna let the light shine on me_

_Now I found who I am, there's no way to hold it in_

_No more hiding who I want to be_

_This is me…_

Shane reaches for his hand and Reed happily takes it in his, entwining their fingers together and singing to each other, somewhat forgetting that they are in a hall full of people, in front of a crowd.

_You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing, I need to find you, I gotta find you – This is me…_

_You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me, I need to find you, I gotta find you – This is me, yeah…_

They sing at the same time now, their voices blending in and mixing together to create a perfect harmony. Reed feels his heart fluttering, and Shane's smile is infectious.

_Now I found who I am, there's no way to hold it in_

_No more hiding who I want to be, yeah-_

_This is me…_

As the song comes to a close, everyone quiets down. The hall is once again silent, save for the two boys in front trying to catch their breaths. It's Reed who speaks first. "What… What just happened?" he pants out, a little breathless.

Shane grins. "I had no idea. I just… oh, I don't know. I felt like I really wanted to sing with you out here, so I just grabbed a microphone from Bailey, and… voila."

Reed giggles and hugs Shane. It's at that moment that a loud whistle echoes through the hall, coming from the twins, no doubt, and then everyone is applauding loudly, some even getting on their feet. The Tweedles are blowing them kisses, and the rest of the Warblers are clapping so forcefully, Reed just had to laugh. The two bow down in front, and Reed's never felt happier just singing with someone, being beside them and holding their hand.

…x…

Hilde gazes down at her plate and smiles to herself. So that's it, huh? Obviously, his son feels happy, contented and just _himself _with music. Well, if that's what makes him happy, then she has no right to take it away from him, right?

…x…

The moment the curtain closes, Reed throws his arms around Shane's neck and kisses him square on the mouth, pulling back with a soft giggle. Shane blushes and holds Reed close to him, instantly feeling at ease.

"Thank you, Shane." Reed's sincere three words of gratitude just makes Shane smile widely like a complete idiot, but the other three words that Reed murmurs next just _melts_ his heart.

"I love you."

Kissing the top of Reed's head, Shane whispers back.

"I love you, too."

…x…

Thanks for reading!

Also, please go check out my Tumblr account right here: black-and-scarlet [dot] tumblr [dot] com. Feel free to drop me anything –except hate- on my ask-box. Thanks!

Oh, reviews are simply wonderful, by the way, so please leave some! ^^

~Scarlet


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